Understand how routing works to minimize drive time and fit more jobs per day.
How Route Optimization Works
When you click "Optimize Route" for a technician's day, HeyJack:
- Calculates distances between all job locations
- Considers time windows (if customers have specific appointment times)
- Accounts for estimated job duration
- Factors in traffic patterns for time of day
- Finds the most efficient sequence
The result often saves 30-60 minutes of driving per day.
Factors Considered
- Hard constraints - Jobs with specific appointment times can't move
- Soft constraints - "Morning" or "Afternoon" windows are flexible within that range
- Start location - From office/shop or technician's home
- End location - Back to office or nearest to home
Using Optimization
- Assign all jobs for the day first
- Go to Dispatch Board → select technician
- Click "Optimize Route" (magic wand icon)
- Review the suggested order
- Drag to adjust if needed
- Click "Apply" to save
You can re-optimize after adding or removing jobs.
Auto-Optimization
Enable in Settings → Scheduling:
- Auto-optimize on new job - Reoptimizes when a job is added
- Morning optimization - Runs automatically at 6 AM
- Suggest while dispatching - Shows best slot when assigning
Driving Estimates
The schedule shows estimated drive time between jobs:
- Green - Under 15 minutes
- Yellow - 15-30 minutes
- Orange - 30-45 minutes
- Red - Over 45 minutes (consider reassigning)
Times update based on real-time traffic during the day.
Technician Navigation
From the mobile app, technicians can:
- Tap any job to see the address
- Launch Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze with one tap
- See the next job and drive time
- Get notified if they're running behind
Limitations
Route optimization works best when:
- All job addresses are accurate and complete
- Job durations are set (or use category defaults)
- Time windows are used appropriately
If addresses are missing or incorrect, optimization may not work well.